In all business writing, including web content, use the same word for the same thing. Be consistent. It's not boring, it's clear. This is the opposite of the advice we received in school, when we were learning "creative writing". We...
Blog: Content writing and content strategy insights
Posts tagged "plain English"
Tip: Use positive language
If you want to communicate clearly, use positive language. This is a basic guideline for writing plain language. Negative language is inherently difficult to use because it has: • conceptual difficulties (you may be writing about something nonexistent) • psychological...
Tip: Short words, sentences and paragraphs
Three principles will take you a long way towards writing clearly: Use short words Use short sentences Use short paragraphs. Judgement is always required, but the three short rules are an excellent starting point. When in doubt, keep it short....
Tip: Use lists of 3-7 items
Ideally, dot-point lists should not be longer than around 7 items. That's because the average person (you and I) can hold between 5-9 items in our short term memory. If a dot-point list has more than 7 items, then readers:...
Tip: Put the main message first
Put your main message or a summary of your document first, after the headline. In fact, the very first 6 words should give a strong clue about what's in the document. Assume other people will read only the first line...